James Fearnley

CEO

Despite training as a lawyer James Fearnley has spent the last 40 years involved with researching and manufacturing natural medicines from both plants and from the beehive.

For the last 30 years he has focussed on trying to understand the remarkable properties of propolis.

In 2011 he created ARC (Apiceutical Research Centre) to promote both medicines from the beehive and sustainable beekeeping. In 2016 he created IPRG (International Propolis Research Group) which brings academics together in international conferences. He co-founded the Global Bee Medicine Group.

He is currently developing "BeeArc - The Nature of the Future", a combined Discovery and Research Centre which will explore ways in which the honeybee can inspire our social, economic and cultural life planned to open in summer 2026. He has also pioneered a unique community health project, The Dispensary, promoting the concept of futurehealth i.e., social, economic, and cultural health as well as physical health.

Brief Biography

James graduated in law at University of Birmingham, studied African Law and Anthropology at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) and taught criminology at Kingston University before going to work for Which? Magazine. In 1971 he married, returned to Yorkshire, trained as a Reichian therapist and set up ACT an independent advice centre in Batley West Yorkshire.

In 1974 he moved to a smallholding in Suffolk to lead a simple life working as a pig man and then as a potter creating Homestead Pottery, which ran for ten years.

During this time, he helped start Education Otherwise, a national organisation supporting children not at school and Children First covering East Anglia. He Co founded Mid Waveney Smallholders – an East Anglian network of environmentally friendly families and businesses and ran the Which? Jubilee Award a National Research Award scheme operated by Consumers’ Association.

In 1984 he moved to Whitby in North Yorkshire so that his older children could attend Botton Village Waldorf School. In Whitby, he established The Mustard Seed – a cooperative whole food shop, vegetarian café, art gallery and marketing company. During this period, he helped found the Whitby Youth Trust (an initiative supported by Botton Village Community) and opened by Princess Royal in 1994. He became a local Green Party Councillor and founded the Commonbox Club (Mutual Help Amongst Small Friendly Businesses).

In 1992 I co-founded Bee Health Ltd, a natural medicines company responsible for a renaissance of interest in propolis – a natural antibiotic produced by bees. He published the first major scientific review of propolis in 2001- Propolis: Natural Healing from the Hive – Souvenir Press and Propolis and Oral Health Dispensary Press 2011 He has published numerous peer review papers since, including a recent paper describing the anti - MRSA properties of propolis.

In 2000 James set up Common Cause for Consumers’ Association, a programme designed to help user and consumer groups better understand and represent their members and issues. The programme was further developed for a consortium of national consumer organisations under the title Stronger Voice.

In 2001 he established the International Medicinal Plant Sustainability Forum and was part of a group advising Prince Charles on growing medicinal herbs at Highgrove. James was a council member on the Health Food Manufacturers Association for several years.

In 2002 he founded Nature’s Laboratory Ltd which now produces the largest range of both herbal medicines and bee medicines in the UK. The company also now produces a range of natural cosmetics.

In 2010 James founded ARC (Apiceutical Research Centre) and in 2011 ran the first conference, in the UK on Apiceutical Medicine (medicines from the beehive) at the University of Strathclyde.

In 2016 he founded IPRG (International Propolis Research Group). IPRG has become the focus for international research into the medicinal properties of bee products and holds international research conferences annually.

In 2012 he launched a social enterprise called Common Cause, to explore the proposition that true/whole health is not just about physical health but is also about social, economic and cultural health. Professor David Bellamy launched The Dispensary health shop at the Festival of Futurehealth in December 2012. The Dispensary has since launched or supported a series of futurehealth initiatives in the Whitby community including We Are Whitby, a community organisations which seeks to bring together social, economic and cultural groups to work together in the community and Whitby Business Network.

In 2018 he was instrumental in creating Solar Compass CIC “a company of writers, film makers. artists, crafts people, musicians, festival promoters and community makers inspired by the meaning, purpose and integrity of nature and the natural world”.

In 2019 James launched The BeeArc Project (social, economic and cultural inspiration from the honeybee) which involves a plan to build an exhibition centre, international research centre and village community in Goathland in the North York Moors National Park.

In 2020 he created Threes Company exploring how best to develop health organisations whether they be social, cultural or economic.

In 2020 the IPRG and IFA ( international Federation of Apitherapist) cofounded the Global Bee Medicine Group which is planning an international research conference looking at the medicinal properties of all bee products – honey, propolis, bee venom and pollen.

Books

James Fearnley the founder and CEO of BeeVital has been researching the medicinal properties of propolis for over 30 years. He has published the principal work in English on the subject: Bee Propolis - Natural Healing from the Hive as well as Propolis and Oral Health along with Dr. Munir Ravilia and Dr Philip Wander. He has also contributed to over 30 peer reviewed scientific papers.

Scientific Papers

Sample of publications

• Rofaidi, M. A.; Alotaibi, A.; Alqarni, A.; Alghamdi, A.; Fearnley, J.; Watson, D. G., A Preliminary Study of the Absorption and Metabolism of Temperate Propolis by Human Subjects. Journal of Food and Nutrition Metabolism 2020.
• Alanazi, S.; Alenzi, N.; Fearnley, J.; Harnett, W.; Watson, D., Temperate Propolis Has Anti-inflammatory Effects and Is a Potent Inhibitor of Nitric Oxide Formation in Macrophages. 2020.
• Siheri, W.; Ebiloma, G. U.; Igoli, J. O.; Gray, A. I.; Biddau, M.; Akrachalanont, P.; Alenezi, S.; Alwashih, M. A.; Edrada-Ebel, R.; Muller, S., Isolation of a novel flavanonol and an alkylresorcinol with highly potent anti-trypanosomal activity from Libyan propolis. Molecules 2019, 24, (6), 1041.
• Alqarni, A. M.; Niwasabutra, K.; Sahlan, M.; Fearnley, H.; Fearnley, J.; Ferro, V. A.; Watson, D. G., Propolis exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells via inhibition of purine nucleoside phosphorylase.Metabolites 2019, 9, (4), 75.
• Alotaibi, A.; Ebiloma, G. U.; Williams, R.; Alenezi, S.; Donachie, A.-M.; Guillaume, S.; Igoli, J. O.; Fearnley, J.; De Koning, H. P.; Watson, D. G., European propolis is highly active against trypanosomatids including Crithidia fasciculata. Scientific reports 2019, 9, (1), 1-10.
• Omar, R.; Igoli, J. O.; Zhang, T.; Gray, A. I.; Ebiloma, G. U.; Clements, C. J.; Fearnley, J.; Ebel, R. E.; Paget, T.; De Koning, H. P., The chemical characterization of Nigerian propolis samples and their activity against Trypanosoma brucei. Scientific reports 2017, 7, (1), 1-10.
• Siheri, W.; Zhang, T.; Ebiloma, G. U.; Biddau, M.; Woods, N.; Hussain, M. Y.; Clements, C. J.; Fearnley, J.; Ebel, R. E.; Paget, T., Chemical and antimicrobial profiling of propolis from different regions within Libya. PLoS One 2016, 11, (5), e0155355.
• Omar, R. M.; Igoli, J.; Gray, A. I.; Ebiloma, G. U.; Clements, C.; Fearnley, J.; Edrada Ebel, R. A.; Zhang, T.; De Koning, H. P.; Watson, D. G., Chemical characterisation of Nigerian red propolis and its biological activity against Trypanosoma brucei. Phytochemical Analysis 2016, 27, (2), 107-115.
• K. Saleh , T. Z., J. Fearnley; Watson, D. G., A Comparison of the Constituents of Propolis from Different Regions of the United Kingdom by Liquid Chromatography-high Resolution Mass Spectrometry Using a Metabolomics Approach. Current Metabolomics 2015, 5, 42-53.
• Zhang, T.; Omar, R.; Siheri, W.; Al Mutairi, S.; Clements, C.; Fearnley, J.; Edrada-Ebel, R.; Watson, D., Chromatographic analysis with different detectors in the chemical characterisation and dereplication of African propolis. Talanta 2014, 120, 181-190.
• Siheri, W.; Igoli, J. O.; Gray, A. I.; Nasciemento, T. G.; Zhang, T.; Fearnley, J.; Clements, C. J.; Carter, K. C.; Carruthers, J.; Edrada‐Ebel, R., The isolation of antiprotozoal compounds from Libyan propolis. Phytotherapy research 2014, 28, (12), 1756-1760.
• Kardar, M.; Zhang, T.; Coxon, G.; Watson, D.; Fearnley, J.; Seidel, V., Characterisation of triterpenes and new phenolic lipids in Cameroonian propolis. Phytochemistry 2014, 106, 156-163.
• Almutairi, S.; Edrada-Ebel, R.; Fearnley, J.; Igoli, J. O.; Alotaibi, W.; Clements, C. J.; Gray, A. I.; Watson, D. G., Isolation of diterpenes and flavonoids from a new type of propolis from Saudi Arabia. Phytochemistry letters 2014, 10, 160-163.
• Almutairi, S.; Eapen, B.; Chundi, S. M.; Akhalil, A.; Siheri, W.; Clements, C.; Fearnley, J.; Watson, D. G.; Edrada-Ebel, R., New anti-trypanosomal active prenylated compounds from African propolis. Phytochemistry Letters 2014, 10, 35-39.
• Raghukumar, R.; Vali, L.; Watson, D.; Fearnley, J.; Seidel, V., Antimethicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity of ‘pacific propolis’ and isolated prenylflavanones. Phytotherapy research 2010, 24, (8), 1181-1187.
• Seidel, V.; Peyfoon, E.; Watson, D. G.; Fearnley, J., Comparative study of the antibacterial activity of propolis from different geographical and climatic zones. Phytotherapy Research 2008, 22, (9), 1256-1263.
• Watson, D.; Peyfoon, E.; Zheng, L.; Lu, D.; Seidel, V.; Johnston, B.; Parkinson, J.; Fearnley, J., Application of principal components analysis to 1H‐NMR data obtained from propolis samples of different geographical origin. Phytochemical Analysis: An International Journal of Plant Chemical and Biochemical Techniques 2006, 17, (5), 323-331.

University Collaboration

Nature's Laboratoryhas collaborated with many universities and research facilities in the UK including: